


Pride

by SympathyForTheBlinderDevil



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Jealousy, Love, Love Triangles, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:13:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SympathyForTheBlinderDevil/pseuds/SympathyForTheBlinderDevil
Summary: Tommy and Lila have been on again/ off again for years. They recently decided to make a go of it, but Grace is firmly in the way. This is based on "My Horse Won", "Sometimes My Horses Stand a Chance At Winning", and "Here Comes Pride Up the Backstretch" but you don't absolutely need to read those to get it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Here Comes Pride Up the Backstretch](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16691503) by [SympathyForTheBlinderDevil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SympathyForTheBlinderDevil/pseuds/SympathyForTheBlinderDevil). 



> Welcome to my next series! you may know me from "Evangeline," or "The Cursed Side of This Family," but batten down the hatches; I am taking on the oft fictionalized, fertile soil of S1 (What can I say? Christmas has me feeling a bit nostalgic.). This won't follow the Tommy x Grace story with fidelity to the series. It's more about Tommy and the OC. I've also taken liberties with the financial timeline. Hope you like it.

“Why is she still here?” Lila glared up at Tommy after draining the whiskey that Arthur had placed before her only seconds earlier. “Because Arthur, here, says that you won’t let him get rid of her.” His older brother shot him a sheepish look and shrugged as if to explain to Tommy that he couldn’t help but give her answers when she asked him outright.

 

Minutes earlier, Lila had strolled into the Garrison to have a few drinks and drag Tommy away to see what she had done to his new place. He had given her some money to do what she could with Number 4 Watery lane, and she had been busily making a cozy retreat for the two of them. Lila was ready to show off her expertise in making something out of nothing. But, when she came into the bar, she was shocked to see that a certain barmaid had retained her employment at the Garrison. Lila stormed into the snug to gather her thoughts, and Arthur came in behind her with a stiff drink to try to keep her calm.

 

“I have some business dealings for which I need her presence.”

 

“You’ve got to be joking. You think I’m that gullible?” Lila had put two and two together and had surmised that Tommy’s sudden need for a decorator coincided with his need to steer her clear of the Garrison. “What kind of business requires that shady little biddy to stick around? Huh? Because I’m none too convinced that she’s not here for something else.”

 

Tommy was becoming increasingly irritated with Lila’s questions by the second, and she began to wonder if maybe she had overstepped the mark with her thinly veiled accusation. She needed him to reassure her. She thought he would have an innocuous excuse like that he was waiting until payday to get rid of her. But, his eyes had grown cold, and his lips were pressed in a straight line. Something more was going on, and she knew him well enough to know that he was holding back his temper for her sake. She was relieved when his gaze shifted from her to Arthur, but that relief was short lived when he spoke, “Arthur, give us a minute”

 

“Sure thing, Tom. He murmured as he brushed past Lila, throwing an apologetic look her way as closed the door to the snug.

 

Tommy crossed the short distance between the two of them and leaned down. His voice nearly a whisper, he offered his version of an explanation, which was a stern repeating of the same information. “As I said, she is a piece of a business deal. Nothing more. You need to go home and wait for me.” He leaned closer to her ear and she could feel his breath as he finished, “Jealousy doesn’t suit you.”

 

He straightened up and started for the door, but he was not about to get off that easily, not when Lila had swallowed her pride time and again to take him back. “I suppose you’ve told her all about us then.” At those words, he stopped walking and she could see his shoulders and neck tense up as she continued, “Ah, I see you haven’t. Mendacity doesn’t suit you.”

 

He turned and fished the cigarette holder out of his pocket, taking his time to light up. Was he making her wait in silence for his retort, or was he was stalling for time to think of one? He blew a stream of smoke from his nostrils in a huff, still reining in his annoyance. As he finally spoke, he stared directly above her head. “I have not been dishonest with you.”

 

She could feel her pulse begin to race. She’d hoped that he would give her an acceptable excuse for the barmaid’s presence. She’d hoped that he would put her fears to rest, but the opposite was happening. “Then look me in the eyes when you speak to me, Thomas.”

 

He shifted a steely blue glance her way, then over to the service window that opened out to the bar.

 

That did it. “Are you afraid she’ll hear us?” Lila shouted and stood, moving toward him at speed and shoving his shoulder. Any apprehension about pushing Tommy for answers disappeared at that moment. Her blood ran hot with the suspicion that he was leading Grace on, or was he leading her on? “That’s why you’ve found reasons to keep me away from here. Dammit!” She lunged at him again, and he grabbed her hands to stop her.

 

“No, listen to me.” His voice had grown quieter, but somehow more compelling and his eyes furiously pleaded with her to be still. “I am in deep with Billy Kimber, alright? And he has taken a shine to her. I am using her as leverage, yeah? In the deal with Kimber.”

 

She narrowed her eyes and struggled against his grip.

 

He tightened up on her wrists and walked her to the wall, “No, listen to me. That’s all she is. An employee.”

 

“Then why are you keeping me away from here? Why should it matter if your employee sees me? Why are you being so damned secretive?” Tommy hated questions, from Lila or anyone else for that matter. Half the time he kept Arthur and John in the dark about what he was planning until the last minute.

 

“It is important that she thinks I’m still interested in her.”

 

Again, he wouldn’t meet her eyes as he spoke, and the way that he said those words drained all of the fight out of her. She stopped resisting his grasp, and her hands hung loosely in his. Not again. She couldn’t have her heart crushed by him again. She searched his face for the truth, and a voice inside her head told her that love shouldn’t be this hard.

 

Tommy realized that he had expected too much of her. Part of him knew that she wouldn’t tolerate this situation, and he couldn’t blame her, but business was business. As much as he hated to explain himself, he tried to smooth things over. In hushed tones, he tried to soothe Lila’s hurt. “Hey, hey, if she knew about us, she would never agree to go with me to see Kimber. I just have to keep her sweet on me until the deal is done. I’m doing this for us. For our future. There’s nothing real going on.”

 

“Going on? What…what have you been doing with her? Are you sleeping with her?” Lila’s voice broke and she held back a sob. She didn’t want to hear the answer. She couldn’t bear to hear it from his lips.

 

“No. God, no. Just enough to keep her interested.”

 

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and her mind struggled to make sense of what was happening. What had he done? Just enough of what? Tears stung her eyes at the thought of his arms around that snake.

 

“Lila, listen,” he let go of her hands and tenderly held her face up to his, “I’m with you. I come home to you. We just have to keep her from knowing about us until race day, this weekend. Then it will be all over.”

 

A tear slid down her cheek and pooled on his thumb as she told him, “She already knows. The night we got back together…she saw. I saw her watching us outside the pub. Tommy, you’re a damned fool or a damned liar. Which is it?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila waits for Tommy.

Lila sat alone at Tommy’s kitchen table second-guessing every choice she’d made in the preceding week. She had moved in with him too quickly, a foolish concession to Tommy’s will. Then she hadn’t even thought to check up on the situation with Grace. She had just assumed that Arthur would send Grace packing, given the circumstances. She could never have guessed that Tommy would order his brother to keep the barmaid.  
The remains of a bowl of stew sat before her, and she stared at it despondently, her apatite nonexistent. She thought to herself— He does this. He always does this. He is sexy and charming and dangerously perfect until you give in to him, then everything has to be on his terms  
Why did she keep going down the same road with him expecting different results? This lonely night was like so many nights she spent the last time that they tried to make things work, but back then the honeymoon period lasted a bit longer. Back then his attention to her kept stars in her eyes and pink in her cheeks for weeks before he grew cold. Before the waiting started. Back then it was also business that had pulled him away, but there wasn’t another person in the mix.  
That was the reality of life with Thomas Shelby; for every moment of ecstasy, there was a moment of torture. Only this time, instead of wondering if he was carved up and bleeding at the hands of an enemy gang she had to wonder if Grace was running her fingertips along his perfect jawline or pressing her lips to the alabaster skin of his throat. The torment of thinking about her body next to his was unbearable. A wave of nausea crept over her and she regretted even trying to eat any stew. A wave of guilt followed when she realized that she would rather worry about him fighting for his life than betraying her with Grace.  
Earlier in the night, Tommy had convinced her to leave the Garrison without making a scene and ruining his agenda. But since then, the same question had plagued her mind. Why did Grace disregard what she had seen and heard outside the Garrison on the night that Lila and Tommy had reconciled?  
“Lila, let’s go home.” His husky voice had pleaded.  
“Home? I want you, baby, but isn’t there someone else you need to consider?” Lila had replied, making sure that Grace could hear.  
“I’ll end it. It’s over. She means nothing to me.”  
Grace heard him say that she meant nothing to him. Lila had made sure that Grace got an eyeful from the moment she spotted her blond mop glowing in the dim streetlight. From where Grace stood, there could be no mistake in his intentions. Tommy’s hands were grasping at Lila, inching her skirt above her thighs. He had Lila up against the wall and would have taken her right there on the spot if she had let him.  
“Lila, let’s go home,” he had begged; not “Let’s go back to mine,” but “Let’s go home.” He had never stopped loving her. Either Grace had no pride and would settle for second best, or she thought that she could take Tommy away from Lila.  
But tonight had made that victory seem hollow. Tommy was clearly troubled by Lila’s omission. “Grace saw us that night?” he had asked, stunned. His whole demeanor changed when she told him that Grace had witnessed them making out in the street. He flexed his jaw. He removed his hat and ran his hands over his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me? Eh, Lila?” his voice raised slightly.  
“I didn’t think that it was pertinent information,” Lila snapped. “I didn’t know about your fookin’ plan.” At the word plan, Lila held her hands aloft, palms out, like a magician doing a magic trick. She was put out with him and she vacillated between anger and despair, sarcasm and tears. Tommy was not amused.  
“Lila, this is important. I’ve put myself and my family out on the line. If things don’t go our way this weekend…” He trailed off, not one to put his fears into words. He finished his cigarette and dropped it on the ground crushing it under the toe of his shoe. As he looked down at his feet he tried to school his face into his usual cool expression, only half succeeding. He was upset with her, but it involved more than just her attitude about his plan. Lila was supposed to be his safe harbor. The one that he could trust above all others to keep him sane. The last thing he wanted was for her to mix with this side of his life.  
Tommy put his hat back on his head and sighed. “I need you to trust me. I need to know that I can leave all this shit,” he waved his hand toward the barroom outside the snug, “out there and come home to you. You are the only peace I have in this mad world.” She looked into the eyes that had been so steely earlier and saw a vulnerability there. Tommy never asked for permission to do anything, but he needed her to understand that what he did, he did for them.  
Although she was hurt and confused, she went to him. He hung his heavy head on her shoulder and she stroked the velvety nape of his neck. Their mutual frustration faded as they embraced. He felt so right as she molded herself to him, and promised him that she’d be at number 4 Watery Lane when he got there. Her heart was breaking, but for all her tough talk she couldn’t deny him.  
In the warm whiskey glow of the snug, he had convinced her that everything was going to be ok. Now, she sat and waited for him while he got up to God knows what. Damn him.  
Although her mind told her to leave her heart would make her stay. Because he was the only man that she had ever wanted, because he had a power over her that made sense to neither angels nor men. He was the unyielding earth beneath her feet. Dirty and imperfect, rough, unforgiving, yet solid and reassuring. She stayed because, much to her misfortune, she loved him, and when things were good she felt like warm clay beneath his fingers.  
Lila thought back to the night that she and Tommy had reconnected. After a moment’s hesitation, she looked over her shoulder at her past and waved goodbye to the girl who thought things through. All her common sense went out the window when it came to Tommy. It didn’t matter how many times he had taken her love only to break her heart; Tommy Shelby wanted her again and he could have her. He had kissed her lips raw in the street outside the Garrison and told her that they would find a way to make it work. He undid her garters in the alley a block from his place and promised her that things would be different this time. She was gone on the smell of his skin alone by the time they tripped inside his front room, and he made up for lost time whispering promises down the buttons of her blouse.  
Lila had been drinking all night, pining after him and longing for the feel of his hands on her, and Grace or no Grace, there was no question how badly she wanted him. “Tommy, I’ve missed you soooooo bad,” she slurred as she kicked out of her heels, tumbling into him.  
“Ey, stay with me girl,” he laughed into the crook of her neck. Resourceful as he was, he gave her a line of snow to clear her head. All the world went bright and his smile struck sparks across her skin. The blue in Tommy’s eyes matched the blue of her veins and he traced them all with the red of his tongue.  
“God, I need you, Lila,” he breathed as he slid her camisole off of her shoulder. He spun her around and breathed life into her as she slipped under his hands, all of her unnecessary angles slid through his fingers and were lost as he made her perfect. There was no hesitation, no hint of regret between either of them as they were reborn to each other.  
When the next morning came she was tangled in his sheets. The fuzzy consciousness of whiskey and snow had been replaced by a million points of sunlight tingling her skin and dazzling the backs of her eyelids. She stretched her sore muscles and smiled at the memory of the night before. Tommy lay still and quiet beside her, and she watched him as he slept, all his features at peace. His scars were illuminated by the dawn like silvery runes that could tell her his story if she could only read them.  
The reality of her situation was not as pretty. She was vulnerable; he had always been her weakness. But the night before he had spoken her name like a prayer and given her hope that she could believe in him this time. So she did.

That was only a week ago. It occurred to Lila that even as Tommy woke up the morning after he had promised her the world, he knew what he was going to do with Grace. The bastard had started up their relationship again knowing full well that he was going to string the barmaid along too. His audacity would never cease to amaze her.  
Enough reminiscing, Lila thought, as she wiped her eyes and stood up. Her legs had fallen asleep from sitting, so she rubbed the feeling back into them, wincing at the pins and needles that came as the blood flowed back into her calves and feet. She scraped the leftover stew into the scrap bucket and checked the clock. It read 12:30, and with no sign of Tommy, she turned to go to bed. To her mind, there really was no need to wait up.  
As she reached the threshold to the room they shared, she heard his key in the lock. Lila froze. Her back was to the door when she heard him come in and his footsteps coming toward her. She squeezed her eyes shut and choked back a sob. She couldn’t bear to look at him. She couldn’t bear to face him knowing that he had been with her. Goose-bumps covered her body as she felt him standing close behind her.  
“Lila,” his voice sounded defeated, broken. “I couldn’t do it, love.”  
His arms wrapped around her waist and she felt the weight of his head on her shoulder. She ran her hands through his hair then turned around, pulling his face up to hers. “Don’t lie to me,” she whispered through gritted teeth, not bothering to hold back her tears. “Don’t tell me what you think I need to hear, Tommy.”  
Tommy pressed his forehead tightly to hers, “I couldn’t do it. All I could think of was you. Fuck the deal. Fuck Kimber. It all means nothing without you.”  
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Tommy had never put anything or anyone before business. But his breath was coming heavier as he pressed his body closer to her, and caressed her back. At that moment she was surer of his love for her than of anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this. It is a bit different in tone to my usual work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The saga continues as Lila enlists the support of Polly and Esme.

Tommy spent all night showing Lila how he felt about her and atoning for his numerous sins against her. As spare as he could be with his words, he was physically more than generous when they were alone. Down through the years, through all the stops and starts, the problems between Tommy and Lila were never between the sheets, rather they were with his eventual coldness and silences. He would inevitably try to protect her from the ugly side of his business through subterfuge and secrets. Communication was never his strong suit, but this time he vowed to do better. And although his embrace may have made her weak in the dark of night, she promised herself in the light of day that she would not be his fool. He would have to toe the line.  
The next morning as Tommy got ready to go to the betting shop they discussed the way things stood with the Kimber deal.  
He pulled his trousers up and tucked in his shirt-tail. “I told her that if she wanted to go to the races she could go as a paid employee to sweeten the deal with Kimber. Nothing more. If she goes, she goes. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t. We’ll do the deal without her.”

“I don’t trust her Tommy.”

Tommy stopped lacing his boots and turned to face Lila. “Pol doesn’t either, nor does Esme. So what is it that all of you suspect? Is it her Irish extraction? Her looks? Has she said something that I should know about?” His voice was not exactly tense, but it was in the neighborhood.

Lila sat up on her knees and pulled the quilt around her shoulders. She didn’t want to start trouble after the night that they had spent together, so she simply replied, “Just be careful, Tommy.”

He finished tying his laces, pulled on his jacket and stood. “I always am.”

As he walked to the door he asked over his shoulder, “Where will you be after work tonight? Here or the Garrison?”

Lila felt a surge of pride. This was Tommy’s way of proving that he had chosen her over business. Through her smile she murmured, “I suppose I’ll meet you at the pub.”

She listened to his footsteps fade down the hall and heard the door latch shut. The sound of her man going to work. Her man. She sank back onto the pillows and allowed herself a moment of sheer girlish joy. Thomas Shelby belonged to her. She buried her face in his pillow and luxuriated in his scent. It was sweet and smoky, there were sandalwood and a hint of his sweat. Heat began to radiate from between her thighs, and her breasts began to tingle as her nipples hardened. Just the smell of him could do this to her. She felt that she could lie there all day in the bed that they now shared, but she needed to get to the BSA on time, and so she rose to take a cold-water bath.

 

“Esme!” Lila called out, as she hurried to catch up. It was a stroke of luck, running into Esme. Lila was on her way to the Garrison, as promised, after work, and needed a sounding board to hear her out about her suspicions before going in. 

“I’m in a hurry. The kids are home with the neighbor lady and they’ll have her tied up if I don’t get back soon.” She slowed her pace and looked back for Lila to catch up, but never completely stopped. 

“Mind if I come in for a few minutes, then? This isn’t the sort of thing I can discuss walking down the street.”

Esme stopped for a fraction of a second and turned to face her, “It’s about the barmaid, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve been expecting this conversation. Polly too.”

“Tommy mentioned that you and Polly feel the same way as I do about her. I’m supposed to meet Tommy at the Garrison, so I don’t have a lot of time.” 

“Neither do I. Get Polly and bring her ‘round to mine. We’ll hash this out quick enough.”

It didn’t take much convincing to get Polly away from the betting shop, and Lila struggled to keep up with her as she sailed down the street like a graceful black-clad destroyer. Polly was a force to be reckoned with, and Lila was grateful to be on the right side of her. When the three women were sat ‘round Esme’s table, Lila gave them a rundown of the situation thus far. Polly, who was more than kind to Lila but was not one to be summoned for an impromptu meeting at John and Esme’s, had dropped everything to discuss Grace. Esme sipped her tea, her black eyes flashing over the rim of her cup as she listened.

Polly began, “I am glad that you came to us. We have had our suspicions about that fast piece since she came to town, but Tommy wouldn’t listen. Of course, you know how it is with men and their cocks…” She raised her eyebrows and looked to both women for affirmation. “I don’t mean to bring up unpleasantness. I know that you and Tommy have just reconciled, but there’s no sense in pretending that you don’t know how he can be.”

“I’m not a China doll. I can take it,” Lila quipped.

“Good. Because you’re with a Shelby, and everybody wants a piece nowadays,” Esme huffed.

Polly steered them back to the topic at hand, “This Grace woman, she blew into town at the same time as that Irish copper, Campbell. I told Tommy that I think that she is a spy for the police. She is always sniffing around the office, getting peeks of Tommy’s diary. I think she reports back to Campbell.”

“Yeah, and a posh girl the likes of her doesn’t belong at the Garrison. She claims that she worked as a barmaid in Galway. I’ve got kin there and they ain’t ever heard of her,” Esme put her teacup down for emphasis. “And have you seen her pull a pint? She does it like she’s thinking about it. Anyone who’s been behind a bar before would do it more natural like.”

“Right,” Polly said, “but he doesn’t think so. He thinks she’s a posh girl who went astray and needs to start a new life. Here. In Small Heath.” Polly smirked and shook her head.

Lila leaned up on the table, “So we’re in agreement that she isn’t what she seems, and could very well pose a threat to the company.”

“Agreed,” Polly and Esme chimed in.

“So what do we do?”

Polly ground out her cigarette and smiled, “Oh, I’ve got plans for this one. Just go along with her for now— we don’t want to put her on the offensive any more than she already is, nor do we need to get the boys involved.”

“It will be hard, Pol. I’m on my way to the Garrison to see Tommy, and she will undoubtedly be there. It will be difficult to be civil to her.”

“Don’t overdo it. Just be polite and try not to let her know how badly you want to blind her. I have a feeling that if we give Blondie enough rope, she may just hang herself. Now, run along and get the drinks in. I’ll finish up at the shop and join you there shortly.” Polly draped her shawl over her shoulders on her way out into the chill of the evening.

“And I’ll be sat here like a pudding waiting for John to grace us with his presence,” Esme grumbled. The children could be heard squealing and shouting playfully in the next room.

Lila gave her friend a sympathetic smile and gathered the teacups. “I’d wait here with you, but…”

“I know, I know, you have to meet Tommy.” Esme stood (with some difficulty) and motioned to Lila, “Come’ere, let me fix your hair.” Esme tucked stray curls back into Lila’s barrette. “And let's do something about that button,” Esme mumbled as she unbuttoned the top of Lila’s shirt. 

The two of them giggled, “I already have him back between my legs, Es.”

“Yeah, but you want to keep him there, right! Take it from me.” Esme grinned and patted her ever growing belly as proof that her methods worked.

“Do try to get some rest.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll just have the nanny take the children to the Palace for tea so I can put my feet up.”

 

The Garrison was a welcome change from the frigid winds that whipped down the lane. The warm glow of the lights, the convivial atmosphere, and the heat from the coal burning stove made Lila smile despite her apprehension at facing Grace again. But why should she feel apprehension? She had the love of Tommy Shelby, she was the one sharing his bed and making his home. She glanced around the bar waving hello to friends and quickly noticed that Grace was nowhere to be seen. With a renewed sense of confidence she approached the snug.

She could hear Tommy’s voice, “I don’t know how she did it. She works all day at the BSA, and yet somehow, in her off hours, she has turned number 4 into a palace fit for a king. I tell ya, she’s a magician.” She heard Arthur and John chime in in agreement.

But when she opened the door a crack, she could plainly see Grace standing in the snug, holding a tray as she listened to their conversation, smiling and nodding. That duplicitous whore! No one is that gracious after losing a man to another woman. Lila took a deep breath, put on a smile, and told herself, it’s show time.

She stepped into the snug with two objectives in mind: establish a polite rapport with Grace and show that she is already part of the Shelby inner circle. Tommy looked up and smiled when she entered, while Arthur and John rearranged their seats so that Lila could sit between Tommy and John. John hugged and kissed Lila before Tommy could, and Arthur patted them both on the back saying, “Here’s our Lila. Tommy was just telling us all about how you’ve feathered the nest over at number 4.” That was the latter objective accomplished in thirty seconds flat.

Lila held Tommy’s hand under the table as she looked up at Grace, and with measured kindness in her voice, she ordered drinks for herself and Polly. Grace tilted her head a little to the side and gave a closed-lipped smile before leaving the snug to fetch the round. Lila sighed her relief in a way that only Tommy could hear, and he squeezed her hand. His eyes locked with hers in a way that said that he understood and was sorry for her conflicted emotions, but he was grateful for her tact. Lila leaned close to Tommy’s ear and whispered, “My patience does have its limits. Open the service window, she can pass the drinks through to Arthur.” 

Tommy nodded and shifted his eyes to his older brother. “Arthur, service window, eh?”

John shifted his toothpick and sniggered. Lila elbowed him, “I saw Esme earlier. Speaking of feathering a nest, she has your house set to rights! How does she manage with all the kids?”

John swelled with pride, “They call it nesting, it’s somthin’ she does when she’s with child.”

Arthur playfully cuffed him around the ear and crowed, “When is she not wif’ child, then, John boy?”

“Ah, cut it out Arthur,” Lila laughed as he turned to take the drinks from the service window and pointedly shut it when he was finished, winking at Lila in the process.

“Honestly, she seemed a bit tired when I went ‘round,” Lila went on. “You might pick up some iron tonic at the chemists on your way home.”

John looked at his watch and then at Lila, “But the chemist closes in less than an hour.”

“Well, you’ll be leaving by then to help get the kids to bed, you should have plenty of time,” Lila stated, as naturally and matter-of-factly as she could muster. Having been friends with John since primary school, she could suggest things to him in a casual way without him catching on. 

Tommy, however, was another story. He squeezed her hand under the table in recognition of what she had just done, and she squeezed his hand in reply to let him know not to give it away. 

John finished his pint and rose, “Right then, I’m off. Iron, did you say?”

“Yes, iron tonic. It tastes vile, but will put a bit of color back into her cheeks.”

“Thanks, love.” John kissed the top of her head and made for the door. He loved Esme with all of his heart, but sometimes he could be clueless, or selfish, or both.

“That was slick,” Tommy murmured into her neck. 

“They’re my friends. I take care of my friends,” she answered into his ear. 

“And what about your enemies?” he whispered.

Just then the door of the snug swung open as Polly came in, and Lila caught a glimpse of Grace. “Oh, I take care of them too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had a lot of set-ups for things to come. Hopefully, you caught them all. I have been so happy with your response to this. It's scary to write about Grace because she is both adored and reviled by the fandom. Personally, I am a bit of a fence sitter when it comes to her, but you have all been supportive and kind about my portrayal of her thus far. I appreciate that. Leave a comment if you'd like, I really enjoy feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polly has a plan. (Oh, fuck.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is killing my heart because Lila wants to let go of her fears and give her heart to Tommy completely, but he has broken her heart so many times before. Then, there's Grace. Can she trust him around her? I guess we shall see!

Just as she had promised Tommy, Lila did indeed take care of her enemies. As did Polly. Before Lila left the Garrison, she and Tommy’s aunt had a tete-a-tete in the ladies room where the plans to expose Grace were revealed. 

Polly closed the door to the dimly lit ladies loo and unlatched her purse to retrieve her lipstick. “I have heard from a reliable source that Grace has been seen in the gallery downtown with Inspector Campbell,” She said it almost casually, as she leaned closer to the mirror and dabbed at her lips with the blood red bullet.

Lila’s eyes grew wide with barely suppressed rage, “We have to tell Tommy!” She felt an adrenaline-fueled numbness at the thought of that lying bitch turning over information that could get Tommy jailed or worse.

Polly turned to face her, “No. She will only lie and say that the fact that they were seen there together was a coincidence. Worse yet, she’ll turn it to her advantage by saying Campbell tried to convince her to spy, but she refused. We need irrefutable evidence that she is working for Campbell. Tommy’s still half thinking with his cock, even if he doesn’t realize it.” 

Her words felt like a sucker punch. Tommy swore that he wasn’t stringing Grace along anymore, and he promised that she was only around for business, but Lila had been led down the garden path before. Still, Aunt Pol knew Tommy better than he knew himself. If she thought that he harbored subconscious feelings for Grace…

“What’s wrong with you? You look like someone just walked over your grave.”

Lila tried to straighten up her face, but it was no use. “It’s just that…,” she stammered, “he…he promised.”

“For heaven’s sake. I didn’t say he’s going to do anything.” Polly grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “She is a snitch working for the police, and he is a man. Men can be led astray. Even the good ones.” 

Outside in the hallway, a man whistled a meandering tune and bumped into the wall as he staggered into the men’s room, and they paused as they listened to his piss splashing in the toilet. 

“These walls are paper thin,” Lila whispered as she turned the water on and motioned for Polly to follow her to the other side of the small room.

Polly lit a long brown cigarette and smoke swirled under the light bulb “I spoke to Arthur when he went to the loo earlier. He is going to help us. Tomorrow I will go to his office and have a little conversation with him regarding the blinders schedule for race day. He will make sure that Grace is doing inventory in a place where she will be sure to overhear.” She leaned closer to Lila and continued, “I plan to draw Campbell’s attention to the BSA warehouses along the canal.”

“What is happening at the warehouses?”

“Nothing, but we will lead Grace to think that Arthur and John are staying behind to pull off a heist, and she will sing like a canary. When Campbell and his coppers show up to take our boys down for boosting the government’s guns, they will all be at the track taking control from Kimber.”

“Won’t Grace know that something is off when Arthur and John appear at the race?” She knew that when it came to plans like these the devil was in the details.

“No.” A satisfied smile played around Polly’s lips from behind a haze of smoke. “They always ride separately. She won’t see them until it is too late to alert Campbell that there’s been a mistake.” 

“And since Grace is the only way that Campbell could have heard about the bogus heist …”

“We will have her dead to rights. If she doesn’t have the good sense to disappear, I will take her out.” Pol crushed her cigarette under the toe of her boot and turned off the water taps. “Either way her cover will be blown, and Tommy will know the truth about her.”

Lila felt awful about keeping secrets from Tommy, but Pol was right. He probably was still half thinking with his cock when it came to Grace. Otherwise, he would have dismissed her out of hand instead of keeping her on at the Garrison. Lila wanted to believe that he wouldn’t act on any residual feelings he might have for Grace, still, she would feel a lot better when her scheming ways were exposed, and she was no longer in daily proximity to him. Besides, Polly was the architect of the plan and Arthur was involved as well. There would be plenty of blame to go around if Tommy ended up feeling betrayed.

When they returned to the snug, Arthur gave her a knowing look and sank his whiskey. “I’ve got an early morning ahead of me. Inventory and all.” He said his goodbyes, and Polly left with him. 

When Lila and Tommy were left alone, he filled her glass and nuzzled her neck. “Have another drink, love. You deserve it. 

His nose traced circles just under her ear, and Lila sighed. She wanted so badly to believe that things were different this time, but her mind kept returning to Pol’s words. She thought about the last time that they had fallen out. It didn’t take long before rumors of his whoring reached her ears. It seemed like the things that drew her to Tommy, were the very things that should make her run in the other direction. He was a bad man who did bad things, and the truth was, she always felt like she needed him more than he needed her.

But when Tommy started humming her favorite tune and slowly trailing his fingers along the tops of her stockings, her reservations vanished into thin air. “How much whiskey have you had tonight, Mr. Shelby?” 

“Almost enough to forget that there are streets out there full of coppers, and Irish trouble, and Kimber, and all that shit that takes up room in my head.”

“Almost enough, you say,” she leaned into him as she topped up his glass, draining the last drop out of the bottle. “Let’s fix that.”

***

Grace’s toes smarted with each step she took. She still wasn’t used to working on her feet all night, and her shifts at the Garrison were taking a toll on her tender feet. She stumbled on a loose cobblestone, half twisting her ankle, and wincing with pain as she approached her boarding house. It was just a few blocks from the Garrison but tucked away on a side street away from prying eyes and wagging tongues. She had her identity to protect and walked a thin line between embedding herself in Small Heath while not drawing undue attention to herself. Of course, she had Tommy Shelby’s attention, but that was the point.  
It had been surprisingly easy to gain access to him. You would think that the most feared gangster in Birmingham would be a bit more guarded, but all it took to turn his head was a little flirting and a song. He was easier to manipulate when he was drinking (most men are), but the night that he came into the Garrison soaking wet and stinking of opium he was an open book.

She almost had him in the palm of her hand until a week ago. When Lila waltzed back into his life, she had no choice but to gracefully step aside. Just a temporary setback, she thought to herself. The volatile nature of Tommy and Lila’s relationship was well known, so all she had to do was wait. When things fell apart, she would be there to pick up the pieces. In the meantime, she was keeping her hand in at the Garrison, and she planned to make herself irresistible and indispensable on race day.

Slumping against the door jamb, she unlocked her door and felt her way through the darkness of her room. Something seemed off. There was the smell of a man about the place—tobacco and a hint of spicy cologne. Grace felt around in her handbag for the grip of her pistol and held it as she struck a match to quickly light her lamp. 

“Whoa! Mrs. Burgess!” Inspector Campbell held his hands up in mock surrender as he chuckled. “It’s only me.” 

“Why are you in my room?” she bristled, annoyed at the invasion of privacy. She lowered her weapon and scowled at Campbell, “What if Thomas Shelby had been with me?”

“Oh, I watched your approach to make sure that the tinker bastard wasn’t with you, Grace. I’m not entirely stupid, you know. As a matter of fact, I know quite a lot. From what I hear he has reunited with that little secretary from the BSA, Lila. I heard that she’s keeping his bed warm at night.”  
Grace balked at his statement, “A minor setback.”

“It had better be just a minor setback. You are only in that godforsaken place around those godforsaken heathens because it is important that I get information to bring the Shelby organization down. The home office has taken a keen interest in squashing the likes of them, bookmaker scum who try to get above their station. Are you still accompanying Mr. Shelby to the races this Saturday?”

Grace folded her arms and stared down her nose at him, “Yes. She may be keeping his house, but I am the one with whom he chooses to spend his leisure time.”

Chester Campbell rose and brushed past Grace as he walked to the door. “Good. See that it stays that way, Miss Burgess.”

***  
Steam rose from the tin bathtub that sat in front of the fire. Esme had really outdone herself. She had sent John ‘round to heat water in the massive iron kettle on the hearth and draw a bath just before the Garrison closed. She had even had him leave lavender and a cheeky note about keeping Tommy relaxed. From the looks of it, John had also helped himself to a bottle of Tommy’s whiskey, but it was worth it to come home to such a lovely surprise.

Lila grinned as she read the note in disbelief, and Tommy sidled up to her back to read over her shoulder. He groaned and rolled his eyes at her crude jokes, but had to agree that her heart was in the right place. “I guess she appreciated you sending John home to her, eh?”

“Like I said, I take care of my friends.” 

“Then I should count myself lucky to be among that number,” he mused.

He was lucky to have her, and he knew it. It wasn’t every woman who would take him back into her heart after all the times he had broken it. He thought of the business with Grace and immediately regretted it, but it was too late to back out now. He needed her to distract Kimber. After the race this weekend he would let her go, he thought. He wouldn’t risk Lila’s heart again. He buried his face in her hair and sighed, “I need you, Lila.”

He had a way of saying exactly what she needed to hear. She turned around in his arms and ran her hands over his chest, hooking her thumbs in his braces and sliding them down his arms. Tommy rolled his head back and exhaled, the weight of all his worries evaporating as she pressed kisses to his throat and unbuttoned his shirt. He wordlessly pulled his undershirt over his head and slipped out of his trousers while she unbuttoned her dress letting it fall and pool at her feet. 

She stood in her slip with the flames glowing behind her. Tommy gazed at her with longing. He brought his hands up to her hair and gently pulled out her combs, sending her dark locks cascading down in waves. It was strange, yet undeniable to him how quickly his feelings for her came rushing back. Whenever he returned to her they just picked up where they last left off. Since the week before when he held her in the street outside of the pub she had opened his heart and his emotions for her had only deepened. He loved her for the way she glowed when he touched her, for the way she took care of him, for the way his mind felt calm when he looked into her eyes; he loved her for herself. 

He pulled her head to his chest and traced circles on her back with his fingertips. They stood there, swaying and breathing each other in until Lila shimmied out of her slip and gave him a boozy, crooked smile. “C’mon, Tom.” He watched her back as she padded across the floor and dipped her toe into the water then flicked some in his direction. “Get in this tub with me before it goes cold.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy hates to be kept in the dark.

Polly’s plan worked a charm. Grace was gone.

Aunt Pol had a perfect view of Grace’s face when John and Arthur strolled up to the betting windows. She was decked out in red, as Tommy had directed, and was frankly making a fool of herself on his arm. Her cloyingly sweet expression twisted into one of disbelief and panic as the other two Shelby brothers approached Tommy to be briefed on the plan for the day. She excused herself and disappeared, leaving Pol to clue Tommy in as to what was happening right under his nose. He didn’t take it well.

Tommy went into a tailspin. He called off the meeting with Kimber. He railed at Polly, John, and Arthur, and accused them of disloyalty.

“Brother,” Arthur growled, “I don’t know what kind of a spell she’s got you under, but let me disabuse you of any fantasies you may have of Grace Burgess being on your side because she ain’t.”

Tommy paced frantically, back and forth, back and forth, just outside the stables. He lit a cigarette, took a few drags and flung it away into a fresh pile of straw. John raced to stamp it out. “For Christ’s sake, Tommy! Don’t burn the bleedin’ stables down.”

Tommy squared up to John, “You knew too, then? What about Lila?”

John looked down at his feet.

“Oi!” Tommy wheeled around to Polly and Arthur. “Did she fucking know?”

Polly snapped on him, “Yes, Thomas! She knew. And she knew well enough to keep her mouth shut. Now get in the fucking car. You’ve drawn enough attention to yourself.”

They raced back to Small Heath with Tommy’s knuckles white on the steering wheel. He had the engine wound flat out, recklessly taking every curve at high speeds.

Polly admonished him, like a naughty child, “She was never on our side. You wouldn’t listen, so we had to bring you proof. It’s your own damn fault, so don’t you dare accuse us of disloyalty, Thomas. If anything it’s you who has been disloyal.”

The proof was all over the docks. As predicted, Campbell showed up at the BSA warehouses with a full complement of officers, guns drawn, ready to bring the Peaky Blinders to heel. The rage and embarrassment he felt upon discovering that he had been tricked was only heightened by his suspicions that Grace had intentionally fed him false intelligence.

Who knows what kind of scene transpired between them later that night at the train station, but Grace was gone and Campbell took a bullet. Problem solved.

Now, they had to deal with the aftermath, and what was left behind was an angry man who felt betrayed by the people closest to him: his family and his girl. Lila heard the car roar up at number 6 and ran to the doorway of the flat that she and Tommy shared. She could hear them fighting before she opened the door. She stood in the shadows and watched Polly, John, and Arthur spill out amongst swearing and threats. As soon as they were clear the car sped away, and the headlights caught Lila’s pallid face and tear-filled eyes. If Tommy spotted her, he never slowed down. She could feel the breeze off of Tommy’s coupe as he tore down the lane.

John kicked the wall and swore a blue streak aimed at his vain, controlling brother. Polly grabbed Arthur’s wrist as he stormed toward the door to number 6. “Arthur, go see about Lila while I deal with John. I can’t have him going home like this. He’ll wake the whole house and there’ll be hell to pay with Esme.” Arthur slicked his hair back and pulled his flat cap from his pocket, placing it on his head. He grunted in the affirmative. “…and see if you can talk her into staying here. God knows she doesn’t need to face Tommy alone with the mood he’s in. If he comes home tonight at all.”

Arthur did his best to convince Lila to come next door. “You can’t do anything with ‘im when he gets in a temper.” He tried to talk sense to her, but love is blind and deaf. She refused to wait the night out with him and Polly and insisted that things would go better if she was waiting for him when he returned.

“I should be here when he gets home. He might not want to admit it, but he needs me— especially if he feels betrayed.” She sent Arthur on his way with a promise that if things got too rough she would go to Polly’s.

Alone, with nothing but the steady tick of the mantle clock to keep her company, her thoughts began to race. She wondered where he could have gone. The Garrison was closed at this hour. He had sped off in the direction of Chinatown, and there were two things on offer down there at this time of night: opium and whores. She shook the thought from her head and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Drank straight from the bottle with no ice or water, the liquor burned her throat and took her breath away. She needed enough of it to take her thoughts away. Soon enough, she began to feel warm all over and a bit sleepy. With a shrug, she shed her sweater and draped it over the arm of Tommy’s favorite chair. For a moment she leaned on the chair back and laid her cheek against the antimacassar. The faint smell of Tommy’s pomade made her sigh. He must have been angry with her too, otherwise, he would have stopped. He would have come back by now. She pushed those thoughts from her mind and took another swig of whiskey. Taking the bottle and a pillow with her, she set up camp on the couch. When Tommy came home, he would see that she had waited for him.

She dozed off in minutes but soon awoke to see the red tip of a cigarette glowing in the corner of the room. It was Tommy.

 

The fog of sleep was still lifting from her, and she realized that Tommy had been speaking to her. His voice was thick and slow as if his words were swimming through molasses to reach her ears. “Answer me, Lila. What else have you kept from me?”  
She drowsily started, “Baby…I waited, I wasn’t sure you’d be home tonight…”  
He repeated himself, his voice slurred and his anger apparent, “What else have you kept from me?”

“I can’t believe you’d ask me that. You know that I’ve no reason to keep secrets,” she answered, her voice pitched higher than usual. Then more quietly, “Something you could never say.”

She stared into the darkness at his silhouette, her eyes drawn to the burning end of his cigarette. She could hear the ice rattling in his glass as he brought it to his lips.

“Why couldn’t you tell me then, eh?” he growled.

She couldn’t stand this intimidation game he was playing and turned to cut on the lamp that stood beside the couch. Squinting as her eyes got used to the light, she looked up at him through half raised lids. His eyes were glassy and his jaw was set. He was speaking to her through gritted teeth.

She gave a resigned answer, “Would it have mattered? I mean, any other time that I, or Polly, or Esme, or your brothers said anything about our suspicions you ignored us.”

Every word she said was true and if anything he should appreciate that the truth had been revealed. But he wasn’t. His ego was bruised and he felt like a fool. He pointed a finger at her, the rest of his hand gripping a half gone glass of whiskey. “You had no business getting mixed up in this matter.”

Lila took in the contempt in Tommy’s expression. He was turning on her. She had seen this look before, the cold progression of turning everything off from his brain to his heart. He was mentally preparing to leave her.

“If you want to hate me for staying quiet, then go ahead. But your family did this for you. You may be able to go against the rest of the Shelbys, but I can’t. Nor did I want to. She was a copper, let’s not forget that minor detail. A copper who was willing to lie to you and steal you from me.” Lila was becoming angrier and braver with every word. If this was the end for her and Tommy, she would go out swinging. “A spy that you were more than happy to cozy up to when the mood suited you.” She stood and began walking toward him. “You don’t even seem to be concerned with what she did to you. She sold you and your brothers out lock, stock, and barrel to Campbell.”

Lila crossed the room to where he was sitting. She was so close that her knees were touching his, and she leaned down so that her face was closer to his. “And instead of being grateful to those who love you, you play the part of the selfish bastard.”  
His mouth was slightly open, and his tongue ran across his bottom lip. She studied his lips, the angular planes of his face, and finally his pale blue eyes. He was wasted. His pride was hurt and he was drunk or worse. She considered whether or not this was the right time to have it out with him, but her pride got the better of her.

“Did you hear me, Tommy? Don’t you even care that she was a spy, sent to sell you out?”

Tommy swallowed thickly and dropped his eyelids before slowly turning his head from side to side. “No. I don’t care so much that she lied.” His lashes fluttered against his pale cheeks, then he fixed his gaze on Lila. “I didn’t love her.”

Lila brought her hand under Tommy’s chin to lift his face to hers, and, quick as a shot, he grabbed her wrist. She winced in pain and hissed, “Don’t you dare try to make me feel guilty for this. Mine was a sin of omission, at best.”

His fingers dug into the tender underside of her arm and he brought his face closer to hers as he spoke, “But a sin, nonetheless.”

An odd smile crept over his face. His whiskey slid from his grip and crashed to the floor, and he brought his hand up to cup Lila’s chin. The condensation from the chilled glass lingered on his fingertips, and the cool, wet sensation sent shivers through her. His eyes darted between hers and his breathing quickened. She had seen contempt from him, she had seen anger and indifference in his face before a breakup, but this was something different. He was furious with her, but along with his fury, there was passion. 

Lila squirmed and his hold on her tightened. “I held my peace because I love you, Tommy.”

He drew his lips into a smirk, “You were jealous. You wanted to be rid of her.”

“I wanted to keep you from being hanged.”

Lila was growing limp in his grasp. He raked her hair back from her face and pulled her down into a kiss. He was rough with her, like a drowning man gasping for air. His hands were on either side of her face, and his fingers were tangled in her hair. She maneuvered herself onto his lap, knees on either side of his hips, and he pulled her down farther still using her hair for leverage. Her hands slid across his shoulders and down his chest, undoing buttons as they went.

He shifted her down onto his lap and pulled her head backward while biting her bottom lip. “You are mine, Lila, and from now on you will do what I say.”

She moaned in protest, but ground herself into his hardness. He pulled her skirt up around her waist and ran his fingers under the edge of her panties over the curve of her ass.

“Who do you belong to?”

Lila trailed kisses along his razor-sharp jawline and lightly nibbled his earlobe. He grabbed a handful of her hair and bent her head back until her eyes were level with his. They were frighteningly intense, and he asked again, “Who do you belong to, Lila?” He wound her hair more tightly in his fist and bent her head back to expose her throat.

“You…Oh, God…You, Tommy…” He sucked and mouthed at the pale skin of her throat, marking his territory, while she wrapped her legs more tightly around his back.

He breathed words onto her wet skin, “So from now on, you will do what I say.”

Once again, Lila willingly swallowed her pride.


	6. Chapter 6

An empty bottle and a toppled glass of whiskey were eye level when Lila woke up on the sitting room rug of number 8. She was naked as the day she was born, groggy, and cold since the fire had died out hours ago. Tommy was not there on the floor with her, but the night before warmed her as it came back to her in flashes.

She was wrapped in the knitted blanket that was usually draped over the end of her divan. Tommy had pulled it around them both after they had exhausted the physical possibilities of what could be accomplished in a wing-backed chair and tumbled onto the floor. She and Tommy had a lot of practice with makeup sex but last night he seemed particularly aggressive, almost like he was still angry with her. Even as she fell asleep on top of him he seemed tense.

She rolled up onto her knees to stoke what was left of the fire and drew in a hissing breath between her teeth. Both knees were raw with rug burn. She’d have ointment stains on her stockings and a constant reminder of Tommy’s ire for a few days.

She heard the door latch go and felt the chill of the Small Heath morning blow into the room. The tread coming through the kitchen was unmistakably Tommy’s. She sat quietly on the rug and listened to the singing sound of water hitting the metallic bottom of the kettle. She could picture him with his sleeves rolled up, a cigarette dangling from his lips, switching on the hob and starting a kettle for tea... the contrast between the Tommy she knew at home and the one who shook the streets outside was jarring. But then, as Tommy always said, people are different at home.

She was right on, it seemed; when he entered the room with the coal scuttle he looked exactly as she imagined. He crouched down to start the stove, and Lila huddled under the blanket, her knees pulled up to her chest.

“Did I wake you?” Tommy stoked the coals with one hand and held his cigarette in the other. He spoke with his back to her.

“No, I had just woken up when I heard you come in.”

An awkward silence hung in the air. Lila reached for her slip, which was in a pile with the rest of her clothes and as she did Tommy turned to look at her. She let the blanket slide off her shoulders, and she sat half draped in the sunlight that filtered through the lace curtains. The hardness in his eyes softened. _She looks like an angel_ , he thought. _Albeit an angel with raw knees_.

Lila pulled her slip over her head and ventured a smile as she pinned up her hair. “We did a little damage last night, didn’t we?” she said, indicating the state of her skin with a look and a nod.

“Mmmmm” Tommy agreed.

The kettle went off and Tommy stood to get it, but Lila touched his hand as he passed, “Stay, I’ll get it.”

She padded to the kitchen on dingy bare feet. She needed the opportunity away from Tommy’s sight to think of what to say, of what should be said, after yesterday’s events. The problem with Grace was solved, but now Lila had to grapple with something worse— the possibility that she had lost Tommy’s trust. If she had fallen out of his confidence, she might never be able to build a life with him. _Love shouldn’t have to be this hard._ That was always the problem with Tommy and her, although it was usually the other way around. She had put her pride to the side for him time after time, would he do it for her?

It seemed that they were always going around in circles, but nothing could ever be straight in the life of a gang leader. Tommy was complicated, brooding trouble. Even when she first fell for him, when she was a girl and he was little more than a boy himself, her mind boggled at his behavior. John was a gangster too, but he was easy to get along with. Arthur scared her shitless at times, but he was good at heart. Tommy had always been, and always would be, an enigma: a cold-hearted criminal who read poetry up in his room and cried over dying horses.

Life with Tommy would always be this way, too. There would always be another copper on his trail, another rival gang to annihilate…it would never end. But Lila realized that his ruthlessness and his dangerousness drew her to him. His scheming and his struggle to rise above the slums of Birmingham were what attracted her to him in the first place. The rush that she felt the first time that she saw him stained with someone else’s blood and stinking of whiskey and gunpowder did it for her. Love was hard with Tommy, but it was worth it. If this debacle with Grace had fucked that up for her she didn’t know how she would go on because she needed him like she needed the blood in her veins.

As she reached for the sugar cubes she felt the stillness of Tommy’s eyes on her. “Penny for your thoughts,” he softly murmured.

Lila was torn between giving an honest answer and enjoying a few more minutes of peace with Tommy while they sipped their morning tea.

He read the anguish and hesitation that was written her face and decided she’d suffered enough. In a hushed tone sought to allay her fears. “Lila, I know why you did it.”

He closed the space between them and took a teacup. Lila prayed that he would fill the silence with his words so that she could know where she stood. After a few moments under his gaze, she relented. “Then you know that I did it because I love you.”

Tommy sat his tea on the cabinet and moved to embrace Lila. She stood stiffly with her arms to her sides at first. He head fit perfectly under his chin, and the warmth of his body enveloped her. By degrees, she relaxed and let herself be absorbed by his form. Her arms slid around his waist, and she squeezed him tightly to her. 

They held on to each other and swayed as the noises from a new day seeped in from Watery Lane. No more words were spoken, and none were needed. Tommy wouldn’t admit that he was wrong about Grace, nor would he ever say that Lila was right in deceiving him, but he understood why she did it and that would have to be enough.


End file.
